Mercury Retrograde is a period of time (three weeks, but it feels like forever) in which the planet Mercury appears to be in a backwards motion. You may notice yourself feeling groggy or tired... you may notice you are arguing a lot more with those around you or miscommunicating... you may lose track of time/days causing plans to fall through... you may even experience difficulties traveling (traffic, road rage, delays!) So even for those who may not necessarily believe in the power of the planets, we ALL can agree Mercury Retrograde is the worst. So how can you protect yourself during this planetary pain in the a$$??? The answer, as always, is CRYSTALS! and a bit of advice...

Mercury Retrograde Dates to Know

2016:

Jan 5 - Jan 25
Apr 28 - May 22
August 30 - Sept 22
Dec 19 (2016) - Jan 8 (2017)

2017:

Dec 19 (2016) - Jan 8 (2017)
Apr 9 - May 3
August 12 - Sept 5
Dec 3 - Dec 22

2018:

Mar 22 - April 15
July 26 - August 18
Nov 16 - Dec 6

Travel Issues

Click the photo above to purchase this pendant.

Travel is hugely affected by Mercury Retrograde. One of my friends always locks her keys in her car, gets a flat, whatever it may be at least 3 or 4 times during the 3 weeks Mercury is off. Personally, I experience a difference in traffic & weather conditions when I need to get somewhere. They say it is best not to travel during Mercury Retrograde but if its something you can't avoid, try rocking a Smoky Quartz or hanging one in the rearview mirror of your car. Personally, I have one hanging in my car no matter what the status of Mercury may be. Smoky (or smokey) Quartz is a great protector against negativity in all forms. Ancient & metaphysical Lore tells us that Smokey Quartz is the ideal stone to use for protection during travel. It protects against road rage, traffic, weather conditions, other bad drivers, accidents, and problems with the car itself.

Communication

Click the photo above to view this Aquamarine pendant on etsy.

Miscommunication and misunderstandings are much more likely to happen during Mercury Retrograde. (Good luck to those of you in relationships & brace yourselves...) However, there are so many crystals to help protect you from these mishaps. Aquamarine aids in the flow of thought and words, to help you fluently express yourself and what you need to say. It also has a very gentle calming factor. Amazonite can help you express your personal truth and can also calm overemotionalism. Amazonite is also a good stone for listening to others because it can help you discern the truth in what people say (Mercury Retrograde makes people a little difficult, but this stone can help you realize the goodness behind the words.) Every person is different and will react differently to certain crystals; so if you don't resonate with one of these crystals, check out other throat chakra stones: Blue Kyanite, Sodalite, Labradorite, Blue Opal, Chrysocolla, Blue Chalcedony.

Decision-making

Check out a selection of Amethyst pendants by clicking the photo above.

They say not to make any huge decisions, purchases, or commitments during Mercury Retrograde. However, I completely disagree. Of course you should think over your decisions carefully and obtain as much information as you can, I think if you are confident with the change you are about to make: GO FOR IT. Use a stone for intuition to guide you on what the best option is: Fluorite and Amethyst.

Plan-making

Click the photo above to view these Apatite stones for sale.

Whether its because the dreaded retrograde makes us feel a little scatter-brained, travel issues, or because this odd planetary shift can send us to the strangest of places - plans are definitely subject to change. In my case, plans changing last minute causes me tons of unneeded anxiety & stress, so I have recently started carrying a Prehnite with me, a stone that helps you go with the flow. Conversely, you may want to carry a Blue Apatite which is a wonderful stone for helping you with time management.

Technology

Click the photo above to read more about this Quartz (& Moldavite) wrap.

This one drives me crazy, but beware of technology malfunctions during this phenomenon. This could mean your cell phone or computer randomly crash, or everything gets erased; whatever it may be - you can definitely blame Mercury for this one. A simple quartz crystal has strong influence on technology and can ensure that everything is running properly. A safer idea is to back up everything and press save over a dozen times!!

Overall, Mercury Retrograde can affect each person differently. Depending on what your star sign is, where the phase falls in the sky, and thousands of other factors, you may not experience the same as another. I say that positive thinking is the best form of protection but you may also want to carry these protection stones: Smoky Quartz, Black Tourmaline, Black Kyanite, Labradorite. To become more in tune with the planet Mercury check out these crystals: Citrine, Agate, Opal. Good luck to you all!